Kruk S.A.

Persons who have a debt with KRUK have just received unique parcels. KRUK debtors have received a DVD called “Get to Know Us”. It is a guide to KRUK including short instructional films as well as information important for all those who have found themselves in a debt problem. The above is an innovative form of contacting the debtors in Poland. Nobody has used such a method before to persuade debtors that it is a good idea to reach an agreement with the creditor and to start paying the debt in instalments.

The above non-standard parcels were received by people with debts and by companies whose debts have been purchased by the KRUK Group. Apart from a letter with the current debt balance, the envelope included a DVD. The DVD contains a multimedia presentation including information important from the point of view of a person with debts showing how to behave in the difficult debt situation. Additionally, the DVD contains instructional cartoons and TV spots. In a funny and simple way, the cartoons show how to reach an agreement with a KRUK collection agent and how to take advantage of the possibility of paying the debt in affordable instalments so as not to place an excessive burden on the home budget. One of the films shows how to use the e-KRUK web-based system enabling debt management via the Internet, in the comfort of one’s own home.

The film characters explaining the issues relating to debt payment are Miron who has a debt problem and Mirek who has already paid his past due accounts and enjoys a debt free life. Both characters have been introduced before during the Our Debts social education campaign co-organised by KRUK SA and during the Debt Free Day marking the campaign’s end and celebrated in Poland on 17 November.

“We know that some debtors may try to avoid talking about their debts. Their fears come from the lack of knowledge of what they can expect. We want to demonstrate that contacting the creditor or the debt collection company representing the creditor is the best solution and the first step to a debt free life. People do not pay their debts because most often they simply do not have the money. We are aware of that and therefore we are showing a simple way to solve the problem with our help,” says Piotr Krupa, President of the Board of KRUK SA. "In a good-natured and funny way, the films on the DVD explain the process of entering into settlements and the option to pay the debt in instalments. They show how a contact with a debt collection company may look like and that both parties may be satisfied with this win-win solution,” added Krupa.

The innovative form of contact with debtors proposed by KRUK is another initiative showing that contemporary professional debt collection has a human face and that its purpose is to recover the money due to the creditor but taking into account the possibilities and needs of the debtor. In 2008, KRUK was the first company in Poland to implement a pro-settlement strategy which enabled repayment of the debt in instalments adjusted to the current financial capabilities of the debtor. The above initiative was a complete novelty in the debt collection industry. Today, more and more companies are following the example of the sector leader. The guide and the films sent to debtors on DVDs fit in a natural way in the above pro-settlement strategy.